Paid in Full
}} The Oracle explains his business model. Cast * The Order of the Stick ** Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶ ** Haley Starshine ◀ ▶ ** Elan ◀ ▶ ** Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶ ** Durkon Thundershield ◀ ▶ * The Oracle of the Sunken Valley ◀ ▶ Transcript Oracle dons his normal clothing. Roy: Back off, Belkar. As long as he keeps his end of the bargain, we won't be asking for more questions. Belkar: Great! Why does everyone else get to dangle kobolds out of windows and I don't ?? Roy: Of course if he decides to be a wiseass with one of his answers, like he was before... Oracle: Hey, "In his throne room," was a perfectly legitimate answer to the question, "Where is Xykon?" Haley: R fjwhh qdwow'h mx axrmq rm vw bhzrmf b ejwhqrxm. Oracle: Of course there's a point to you asking a question. Haley: Pxj ibm jmuwohqbmu vw?? Oracle: No, I can't understand you, but I can look forward into the future to the point where this particular strip is compiled into a book and just read the translation. Haley: Djd? Oracle: Now let's talk payment. I don't do this for free, you know, I've still got to eat. Belkar: Have you ever considered eating your own lungs? I can show you how to prepare them if you'd like. Durkon: Ye know, ye could just use yer powers o'precognition to make yerself a fortune. Oracle: I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I am doing. Oracle: I get paid a bundle to sit here all day with all of the answers and watch as groups of clueless rubes stumble to figure out what are the right questions to ask me to fix their pathetic little lives. Oracle: I'm like a reptilian Alex Trebek. Oracle: Now c'mon, I haven't got all day, and the two of you are running late for a pair of family reunions. So how are you paying? The sign on the wall reads: Roy: No checks? But you can see the future, wouldn't you know in advance whether or not our checks were any good? Oracle: Yes, which is exactly why I'm not accepting them. I've seen your futures, I'll take guaranteed payment up front, thanks. Roy: So you're saying what, that we rolled a 1 on our Credit Check? Elan: Couldn't we just take 10? Oracle: No, dealing with credit agencies always counts as being "threatened". D&D Context * Electrum pieces (ep) are one of the more obscure types of currency in D&D. It has always been worth 1/2 of a gold piece, though the conversion to the more common silver piece has fluctuated across the D&D editions. Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver, and was used historically in the ancient world as currency. * "Rolling a 1" or a (i.e. a natural 1 on the die, before modifiers) is an automatic failure on skill checks. * Taking 10 allows a character to take an average roll of the dice instead of rolling them, but it can only be done when not threatened or distracted. Trivia * The translations of Haley's lines are: ** Panel 3: I guess there's no point in me asking a question. ** Panel 4: You can understand me? ** Panel 5: Huh? * In panel 9: ** "Immortal souls" is a reference to the German legend of Faust, who traded his soul to the devil (or any number of subsequent tales which borrow the theme of a Faustian Bargain). ** "Magic beans" is a reference to the English fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, who traded his cow for magic beans. ** "Your voice" is a reference to the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, who traded her voice for the ability to walk on the ground. * In Panel 8, the Oracle was referring to the Order's upcoming second encounter with the Linear Guild to save Julia. External Links * 330}} View the comic * 5313}} View the discussion thread Category:The Oracle of Sunken Valley